shadihamid

The current state of "Islam" is not due to some kind of eternal essence; it's is a product of culture, history, politics and economics. That's why we have considerable variation in how the religion is practice. Compare Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia for example. But if you believe, for instance, that secularism is a prerequisite for democracy (which I don't), then we might have a problem there. I'd argue that Islam has proven rather resistant to secularization or privatization.

When I was in Egypt in August, just a few days before the Rabaa massacre actually, it was a pretty shocking, and dispiriting, experience. You know, you read about rise of fascism in Europe after WWI in grad school, but it's really something to see a kind of bloodlust - the desire to kill your countrymen - up close, from people you know and even care about, your friends. I saw that in Egypt and it was clear then the scars would take not just years, but possibly decades to heal. It's brother against brother. Mother against son. It's sectarianism without the sects, which in a way is more frightening because you can't clearly define who your enemy is. It's a difficult question but a vital one - how did so many Egyptians lose their humanity, lose their ability to empathize with their fellow citizens? Where exactly did this desire for blood come from. That's why I think looking at religion and ideology is crucial because it's those sorts of raw, existential divides - about the nature and identity of the State - that lead people to suspend their humanity. Egyptians would tell me: hey, you Americans with all your democracy talk and "respecting democratic outcomes." Screw your democracy. We're the ones who have to live with the consequences of elections... And that's why I spent a lot of time in the book talking not just about the political and structural factors that influence ideas, but taking the ideas, aspirations, and ambitions of Islamist movements as something real and deeply felt.

Yes, in my book, I discuss how democratization can actually push Islamist parties further to the right - what I refer to as the "Tea Party effect." The Tea Party is a good example of how illiberalism can flourish even within established democracies. More generally, the US is a country where we have secularism in the sense of separation of church and state but not in the sense of separation religion from politics. Every American has the right - and should have the right - to fully express their religious preferences within the democratic process, even if we don't like it.

Support for sharia is widespread across the Arab world, but to different degrees. A lot of interesting polling data on this. In a 2012 Pew poll, 61% of Egyptians said they preferred the “model of religion in government” of Saudi Arabia over just 17% for Turkey's. And, somewhat remarkably, in the 2010 Arab Barometer, 62% of Jordanians said they would support “a system governed by Islamic law in which there are no political parties or elections." In countries, like Tunisia, that have experienced [often forced] secularization, the numbers are lower. Of course, this provokes more than a few questions - it's one thing to believe in Islamic law in theory and another thing to actually back in practice. How aspirational is this? Are these sentiments shaped by social pressure, a sense that good Muslims have to say they support Islamic law? That needs to be taken into account as well. But, it is fair to say that many of these societies deeply conservative and illiberal in how they view the role of religion in public life.

Good question! My favorite Turkish spot is Ezme. There's always Moby Dick's. Quick Pita is a bit old-school but just had it the other day and was reminded of how good their wraps are. There was this great Pakistani restaurant in Crystal City back in the day. Hope it's still there, b/c it was amazing. All that said, I think this city is really missing a solid shawarma joint. And I'm not talking "shawarma." I'm talking the real thing...